Grief
by Yilanate
Summary: Nathan Ryder, soon-to-be sentinel of DarkRiver, the leopard pack, still hasn't mated Tamsyn, the gentle healer.After 4 years of waiting, will Tam finally give up on him?Or will outside forces keep them apart? Some cursing :


Nathan was feeling off that day, his cat was pacing inside and just could not settle down. Ever since he left Tammy's a few hours ago, his instincts seemed to be screaming at him that something was wrong, very wrong. He concentrated instead, on the task at hand, dismantling Solias King's tower. They had to show those damn Psys that DarkRiver was not a pack to be messed with. Satisfied and beginning to get worried, Nathan scanned the surroundings, looking for Lachlan, their alpha. Seeing him in the distance, Nathan jumped off the now useless structure and strode over to him.

"Are we done here?"

Surveying the damage, Lachlan nodded, "I don't see Solias King and his men wanting to build anything else here. Only fools wouldn't get the hint. By the way, good job burying machine parts near SnowDancer's borders."

Lucas joined them, "Yeah, good idea, Nate. Those wolves would tear them to pieces if they even ventured near." The juvenile cracked a smile.

Seeing his smile, though feral, Nathan was glad. It hadn't been easy for Lucas. His parents suffered terribly at the hands of the ShadowWalkers before dying, leaving him orphaned. Lucas would grow up to be a man, a leader, of great will and strength, though it came at a terrible price. Shayla would have been proud of her son. If only the gentle healer was still around, she would not have let her son become the hard man he now was. The thought of the healer brought Nate back to why he was anxious to leave.

Turning to Lachlan, he spoke, "If there's nothing else, I'd like to go now."

Looking intently at his face, Lachlan grinned, "Off to find Tammy?"

He gave a slight nod.

Lachlan laughed and said, "When are you going to finally mate her, Nate? It's been four fucking years! You're driving the juveniles nuts and anyone can tell that Tammy is in heat. Go on, before someone else scratches her itch for her."

Growling, Nate turned and loped off. "Don't wait too long, Nate!" Lachlan called as Lucas chuckled.

Nate navigated through the forest expertly. He _had_ spent a lot of time navigating these woods to get to the sanctuary of his mate afterall. With each approaching step, his cat grew more and more anxious. It was only when he was within the clearing that his senses finally told him what his cat had been trying to. He smelled a couple of unfamiliar males and that sent his protective instincts into overdrive. Unbidden, scenes of the carnage they had found of the last healer's home flashed before his eyes. If anything were to happen to Tammy… God, he couldn't even finish that thought with the searing agony burning through him. He sprinted the short distance to her door and banged furiously.

"Tammy? Tammy! If you're home, open the door right this instant!"

Getting no reply, he burst through and was about to call for his mate when his sharp senses caught something else. A subtle scent that smelled like… Sedatives. _Oh shit_.

Praying that he was wrong and that it was from the supplies Tammy kept as the pack's healer, Nate began to search for her. The reason in him recognized that somebody, most possibly Tammy herself, must have been drugged in the house for the scent to register for he had never scented it so strongly before on his previous visits except when Tammy had to administer it, but the mate in him refused to believe that. He went through the whole house. Kitchen, bedroom, even the freaking shed in the backyard. Sweeping his eyes around the living room once again, he noted no signs of struggle, meaning that either he was just overreacting or that he was dealing with extremely skilled intruders. That last thought sent his cat into full-blown panic mode. The protective mate in him wanted to track down those culprits immediately but the soldier in him told him to report the intruders to Lachlan first. Sniffing at the air again to see if he could identify them, he knew that his worst fears have materialized. He had smelled this scent only on two other occasions. The day Shayla went missing and when DarkRiver took their revenge. It was not the ShadowWalkers for they were nothing but thorough when exterminating every last one of the sadistic pack. However, the ShadowWalkers did have a hand in this. The scent belonged to their ally, the BloodHounds. A wolf pack as blood thirsty as the ShadowWalkers and had no qualms about killing healers, breaking the cardinal rule of the changeling world.

Adrenaline pumping, he tore off to find Lachlan, phasing mid-stride, not caring that his clothes disintegrated.

Lachlan was heading back to his quarters with Lucas at his side when he noticed the leopard barreling towards him. Coming to a skillful halt, Nate phased back, bared for all to see. The pups were indoors at this time and he was with pack. They had seen each other naked before. Besides, he had more important things to deal with than clothes at the moment.

Lachlan frowned, "What's wrong?" Nate was one of his best soldiers and would be taking over Cian as sentinel in the future. He knew that Nate wasn't the type to panic and the tension radiating off him brought Lachlan into high alert.

Holding back the lump in his throat, Nate spoke, barely a whisper, "Tammy's missing. The BloodHounds took her." The alpha cursed.

"You sure about this?"

Nate nodded his head in confirmation. "We must go after them now. They shouldn't have left too long ago. Their trail was about three hours old when I checked." Subconsciously, Nate realized that that was about the time his cat started pacing. Cursing inwardly, Nate regretted not completing their mating for the first time. If only he had the bond with Tammy, she could have called him when she was under attack. His fists clenched tightly as he waited for what Lachlan would say. He was still the alpha. However, he would accept nothing less than to go after them immediately, with or without the pack. The BloodHounds were larger in numbers but he had enough fury in him to kill off the whole pack in cold blood to ensure the safety of his mate.


End file.
